Difference between revisions of "Son of Man"
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[[Jesus]] was careful to avoid wording that committed the crime of blasphemy, which would have resulted in his prosecution before he completed his ministry. Hence he implied his divinity without expressly saying so. | [[Jesus]] was careful to avoid wording that committed the crime of blasphemy, which would have resulted in his prosecution before he completed his ministry. Hence he implied his divinity without expressly saying so. | ||
| − | The Greek version of how Jesus described himself is "ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου," which is best translated as "The Son, a human being." The wording implies the divinity of Jesus in a non-blasphemous manner, without Jesus expressly claiming to be God. | + | The Greek version of how Jesus described himself is "ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου," which is best translated as "The Son, a human being." The wording implies the divinity of Jesus in a non-blasphemous manner, without Jesus expressly claiming to be God. [[Faith]] is required to accept the obvious implication that Jesus was divine, and his opponents thereby had a difficult time catching him in the crime of blasphemy during his ministry. |
Other possible translations would be "God as a man," "Son of Man from God," "God became man," "God descended as man," or "Christ, Son of [[God]]." John 9:35 does not make sense as merely "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", and the Greek manuscripts disagree at this verse, some stating "Son of Man" (ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου), others "Son of God" (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ). A fuller translation would be, "Do you believe in the Son of God, is human being?" | Other possible translations would be "God as a man," "Son of Man from God," "God became man," "God descended as man," or "Christ, Son of [[God]]." John 9:35 does not make sense as merely "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", and the Greek manuscripts disagree at this verse, some stating "Son of Man" (ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου), others "Son of God" (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ). A fuller translation would be, "Do you believe in the Son of God, is human being?" | ||
Revision as of 04:53, June 29, 2014
"Son of Man" is the common English translation of the enigmatic phrase Jesus used to describe himself.
Jesus was careful to avoid wording that committed the crime of blasphemy, which would have resulted in his prosecution before he completed his ministry. Hence he implied his divinity without expressly saying so.
The Greek version of how Jesus described himself is "ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου," which is best translated as "The Son, a human being." The wording implies the divinity of Jesus in a non-blasphemous manner, without Jesus expressly claiming to be God. Faith is required to accept the obvious implication that Jesus was divine, and his opponents thereby had a difficult time catching him in the crime of blasphemy during his ministry.
Other possible translations would be "God as a man," "Son of Man from God," "God became man," "God descended as man," or "Christ, Son of God." John 9:35 does not make sense as merely "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", and the Greek manuscripts disagree at this verse, some stating "Son of Man" (ὁ υἱὸς τοὺ ἀνθρώπου), others "Son of God" (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ). A fuller translation would be, "Do you believe in the Son of God, is human being?"
Notice that the ancient Greek did not have the punctuation of a comma to convey meaning, as English does.
The term highlights Jesus's humanity and how He came to serve and save mankind, but its translation should also emphasize that Jesus was God and not merely man. The term also illustrates how the best of the public comes from ordinary people rather than the elite.
The Common English Bible, which includes a superb pro-life rendition of one controversial verse, translates the Greek for "Son of Man" as "Human One."
Logical Basis
The logic of Christianity is that good and insights do not arise from the self-centered elite, but from the opposite. "Man" is fallen and cannot redeem himself. Instead, an unexpected "Son of Man" brings salvation in a way that liberals could never anticipate and prevent.
"Son of Adam"
Though the Greek version is clear, the Hebrew term for "Son of Man" could be a mistranslation of "Son of Adam," which emphasized how Jesus was a son (male descendant) of Adam. This meaning is suggested by Proverbs 8:31, where "sons of Adam" was translated by the KJV as "sons of men."
This possible mistranslation in English Bibles then permitted Darwin to deny, with his theory of evolution, that Adam existed as described in the Bible. Had Jesus been known in the English-speaking world as the "Son of Adam," the theory of evolution would have been a non-starter.
Fulfillment of a Prophecy
It is possible that its first use in reference to Jesus Christ is in the Book of Daniel, 7:13, in a prophecy of the Messiah:
| “ | I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. | ” |
